Life Threatened At Age 16
by Yondaime Namikaze
Summary: Winry contracts HIV from an unsterilized needle. She doesn't want anyone, not even Ed, to know about her new health condition. This story is her struggle with an illness that has affected many lives. Story is COMPLETE. Possible sequel in the works.
1. The Flu Shot

**I know it seems like this idea is totally random, but it was actually my health project at one time. I was waiting to post it because I wanted to see what my grade was. I didn't get my grade back, but I swear that it was a 100.**

**This will be a nice short, 10-chapter story. Also, for once, I do NOT need ideas. You can suggest something, but I probably won't put it in. I don't want to sound upset, but this story is perfect the way it is, I promise, so I won't change it. I'm only going to make the chapters longer.**

**I hope you like it anyway.**

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Chapter 1: The Flu Shot  
Grade Level: 5.4

During the month of October, many people flood into Central Hospital daily to receive their influenza vaccinations. It is required that a doctor sterilizes the needle every time he gives the vaccine.

On one certain day, the doctor in charge of the vaccines was new. He was also rushed, as there were many patients there who wanted a flu vaccine.

….

Winry Rockbell walked into Central Hospital. She checked in with the nurse and sat down in the waiting room. She picked up a magazine, but it was really boring. It was all about how to stay healthy, and Winry would have rather been reading a magazine about machines and technology.

….

The new doctor finished vaccinating a woman and he put the needle back. However, he was thinking about his next patient, and he totally forgot to sterilize the needle. He didn't know it, but the woman he'd just vaccinated was HIV Positive.

He looked at the next name on his list, then he went out to the waiting room and called her name. "Winry Rockbell."

Winry stood up and followed the doctor back to the room. The doctor picked up the needle and filled it with the vaccine. He'd gotten pretty good at that part lately because he'd done it so much today.

"Can you hold out your left arm for me, Miss Rockbell?" Winry held out her left arm and the doctor administered the shot. When he was done, he placed on bandage over the small open area.

"Okay, you're all finished," the doctor told Winry. Winry left the hospital. She didn't realize that anything was wrong. She didn't even know that she'd been infected with the HIV virus.

* * *

**So, that's chapter 1. I'm going to see if this story becomes popular, then I'll update it.**

**I'd say that I hope you enjoyed it, but it's not a very nice story for Winry, is it?**


	2. Symptoms

**So, I guess I'll continue. Anyway, I really like Winry, so I don't like seeing her suffer, but this story plotline is perfect.**

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Chapter 2: Symptoms  
Grade Level: 4.1

Winry felt sick. It had been four days since her flu shot, so she just thought that it was the aftereffects of the shot.

She felt better in a few days and she didn't think about the sickness again. She returned to her normal duties, making automail, fitting customers, and helping her grandmother.

One night, after a long day of working, Winry decided to take a shower. She also pulled out her razor because she wanted to shave.

After she stepped out of the shower and before she dried off, she shaved. She dried off and prepared to put her nightgown on. It was then that she noticed that she'd nicked herself with the razor.

**_Oh well, no big deal, I do that all the time_**. She pulled a Band-Aid out of the medicine cabinet and placed it over the open wound. **_It will be gone in a couple of days._**

She didn't know how wrong she was. Two months later, the wound was still there, and it still looked fresh.

Winry didn't understand. **_Why aren't my wounds healing quickly?_**

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**Next chapter: Diagnosis**

**Need I say more?**


	3. Diagnosis

**Okay, I promise that next chapter will be longer, but this one is more "fun".**

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Chapter 3: Diagnosis  
Grade Level: 3.9

Four months later, the small cut still looked fresh. Winry didn't understand. **_I bandaged it and put Neosporin on it every night. Why is that cut still here? Worse yet, why does it look fresh? It should have healed at least a little bit._**

All through dinner that night, Winry thought about the cut. Pinako could easily tell that something was up, but she knew that if it were a major problem, her granddaughter would bring it up. Pinako figured that Winry was just thinking about Edward Elric again.

Winry cleared the dishes off of the table while Pinako went to go draw up some new automail designs for Winry to look over. As Winry did the dishes, she decided to tell her grandmother about the strange cut.

Winry finished the dishes and then she walked into the workroom. "Granny, there's something I need to ask you about?" Pinako looked up. "I knew it. Okay, Winry, what do you need?"

Winry lifted her one pant leg up to her knee. She pointed at the cut. "What should I do about this cut?"

Pinako smiled. "Is that all? You know what to do. The Neosporin and the Band-Aids are in the medicine cabinet."

"No, Granny, that's not all. I cut myself shaving four months ago. This is that cut, and look at it. It still looks fresh. What do you think I should do?"

Pinako looked alarmed. "Winry, I think that you have to get that checked. That just doesn't seem right at all."

"Okay," Winry replied, "I'll go to my doctor's office tomorrow and see if they can tell me anything."

The next morning, Winry got up, dressed, and left on a train to Central even before her grandmother woke up. At the doctor's office, she signed in as a "sick" patient because she didn't make another appointment.

The nurse called her back and they went to a room. "Your doctor will be right with you." The nurse left and Winry picked up another one of those health magazines. **_God, I hate these things._**

Finally, the doctor, Mrs. Gracia Hughes, walked into the room. Winry immediately put the magazine down, glad to be rid of it. "Well, Winry, it's been a long time since I last saw you. What brings you here to Central and, most importantly, my doctor's office?

Winry lifted her pant leg. "I cut myself shaving four months ago. This is that same cut four months later, and it doesn't look like it has healed at all. I want to know why."

"Well, I can't give you the answer at the moment, but I can run some tests and see what the results are. Would you like me to do that, Winry?"

"Yes, please, Dr. Hughes," Winry replied.

"Okay, let me just go get some stuff. I'm going to need to take some blood samples." Dr. Hughes went to get the supplies, and Winry was, once again, left with that annoying magazine.

It didn't take Dr. Hughes too long though, and she was soon back with the supplies. The process didn't take long. The longest part would be the testing itself. "It should take about an hour," the doctor told Winry, "I don't expect you to wait here for an hour."

"Thanks," Winry replied, happy that she could get away from that blasted health magazine. "I'll give you my cell phone number and you can call me when you're done." After writing down her number, Winry left to go explore Central.

Winry left and found a mall that she could spend an hour at. About an hour or so later, Dr. Hughes called. Winry was suspicious as she walked back to the office. When Gracia had called, she had sounded really nervous and all she had said was, "I have your results. We'll discuss them when you get here."

Winry walked into the office and she didn't have to wait. Dr. Hughes immediately called her back and they walked into the same room they were in before. Winry saw some papers sitting out, but she did not catch what they said.

Winry sat down and Dr. Hughes sat down across from her. "Winry, after I called you, I tried to think of the best way to break this news to you. I'm just going to be straightforward with you. I got your test results back, and they're not as desirable as I would have hoped."

Winry didn't understand. "What do you mean by that, doctor?"

"Winry, your results show that you are HIV positive."

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**I got two reviews requesting longer chapters so I hope this works; it's the longest chapter yet. Two more things before I introduce the preview for the next chapter.**

**I promise that I will not make the magazine a running gag. I just put that in there because I hate reading those things. I'd rather be reading Anime Insider or Shonen Jump Magazine, but doctor's offices aren't cool.**

**Also, I just wanted to say that I think Gracia Hughes makes a great doctor. Sometimes I swear that she was a doctor before she had Elysia.**

**Next Chapter: Statistics**

**Dr. Hughes gives Winry a little more insight on just how major her new condition actually is.**


	4. Statistics

**Here's the next chapter. It's another long one.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Statistics  
Grade Level: 4.6

Winry blinked. She didn't think that this could happen to her. "Could you…say that again?" she stammered, not believing what she'd originally heard.

"Winry, you have HIV. Would you like me to tell you some statistics about HIV? Some people understand the condition better if they know more about it."

"Sure," Winry replied.

"Okay, here's the basic information: HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. HIV is a stage in the AIDS process, but the HIV phase can last as long as ten years. That is because there are drugs on the market that slow down the process. HIV slowly weakens your body's ability to fight illness. Also, there is one more thing, if people with HIV are diagnosed early and they respond to treatment they can be healthy, work, have relationships like anyone else, and they can also have a long life expectancy.

Dr. Hughes's last sentence reassured Winry a little. "So, is that all or can you tell me a little more about HIV?"

Dr. Hughes smiled. "Of course I can tell you more. "One in every three people who are living with HIV go undiagnosed. These are the people who are very scary, because they can infect others unknowingly. That might even be how you got it. 25 of new HIV cases are among women. Also, the percent of persons between the ages of 15 and 24 who are living with HIV is 81. Does this help put the illness into perspective, Winry?"

Winry faked a smile. "Yes, I feel much better about it, Dr. Hughes."

"Good. I'm glad. Now, on your way home, pick up a bottle of those pills. You don't need a prescription. You're dismissed, Winry." Dr. Hughes left the room.

Winry, before boarding the train, stopped into a drugstore in Central. She didn't have much experience in buying pills for HIV, so it took her a little while to find them. After she found them, she picked up a bottle and took it to the checkout counter.

The woman behind the counter gave her a weird look. Winry, embarrassed, simply told her, "It's for a friend."

When that was finished, Winry took her bag and proceeded to the train station, taking a late afternoon train home to Resembool.

"Granny, I'm home!" Winry yelled when she'd stepped into her house. Pinako walked out from the automail workroom. "Hey, Winry. So, what did the doctor say about that cut?"

Winry faked another smile. "It's nothing serious. It should heal up soon."

**_I don't want anyone to know about "that condition" just yet_**, Winry told herself. **_I won't say a word about this to anyone yet._**

* * *

**I definitely thought that this was going to be longer. Well, at least it was more informational.**

**Oh, yeah, before I forget. Don't worry about the lines that are underlined. In my project, I had to underline the information, and I just copied and pasted it because I'm lazy, so the underline serves no purpose now.**

**Next Chapter: Research**

**Winry does a little bit more research on her new "condition."**


	5. Research

**It's been awhile, huh? Well, I had to go to my little sister's boring cheerleading competition, then I had to update my InuYasha story that is very popular, and now, here I am, back to the Fullmetal fandom.**

**Oh yeah, I've seen the movie now. It wasn't as bad as some said it to be. I own the movie, so I watch it all the time. Loving the song "Lost Heaven" by L'Arc-en-Ciel.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Research  
Grade Level: 6.3

Winry still hadn't entirely come to terms with her "condition". She still hadn't told Pinako the real reason why her cut hadn't healed yet either, but the cut did look better. **_Must be those medicines that Dr. Hughes prescribed for me._**

Going back to how she hadn't said anything to Pinako about the "condition", she hadn't said much to her grandmother at all since that doctor's visit. Pinako was a little used to Winry's reluctance to speak by now though. Every time, Edward Elric left after a maintenance stop, Winry would lock herself in her room and refuse to speak, so, in Pinako's mind, was this any different? Not really.

One night after dinner, Winry quickly cleaned the dishes off the table and washed them. Once that was finished, Winry headed back up to her room. Pinako watched her granddaughter leave. The old woman shook her head slightly then she headed back to the automail workroom.

Winry stepped into her bedroom and shut the door. After she heard it click shut, she walked over to the desk where her computer sat. She logged onto the Internet and researched the HIV virus.

She found many sites, too many to count. Winry noticed that many of the people who created those sites had created them about themselves, but she also found educational sites that originated from local and non-local hospitals.

Winry noticed that on many of the sites that the people had created about themselves, they had not even known for a while that they even had HIV. I guess that I'm lucky that I got some of the symptoms, so Dr. Hughes could diagnose it.

Something else Winry noticed was that a lot of those young people had been people who had not been concerned about being infected with the virus. That surprised Winry for a minute, then she remembered that she herself had been in that same position.

**_Why _****is****_ that such a big surprise to you, Winry_**? she asked herself. **_You weren't concerned either._**

* * *

**So, I hope that I can update faster next time, but I have to work all weekend. It's my "Equivalent Exchange" for requesting all of last weekend off, but there's still Thursday and Friday.**

**Next Chapter:**

**Guess who comes home?**


	6. Visitor

**Here chapter six. I'm not going to say what happens. Remember the chapter preview.**

**Chapter 6:  
Guess who comes home?**

* * *

Chapter 6: Visitor  
Grade Level: 3.8

It had been a couple months since Winry's diagnosis and she was starting to accept her condition. She was extra careful not to get sick, because her immune system was not as good as it used to be, and she still didn't want to draw suspicion to herself about what was really going on.

A couple days later, a familiar person and his brother came back. Although, Winry's health had changed, that still didn't stop her from throwing the familiar wrench at Edward Elric's head for not calling before he showed up.

Then, just like always, Alphonse Elric, the younger brother who was just a soul in a suit of armor, helped his brother up, saying that, "It was only fair that she threw that wrench. We didn't call, after all."

Ed complained about civil injustice and then proceeded into the house, quickly followed by his brother. Ed sat down on the couch and Winry brought him a cup of tea, because she knew that he didn't like milk. "So, how you been Winry?" Ed asked, making small talk with his childhood friend.

"I've been doing fine," Winry replied. She tried to hide a cough, but Ed noticed.

"Winry, are you sure? You seem kind of sick."

"Oh, it's okay, Ed. It's just kind of dusty in here, that's all." Then, Winry's voice took on a much more serious tone. "Anyway, which limb needs fixed now?"

Ed knew that Winry was lying. He noticed it in her voice. "Oh, my automail is fine. Al and I just stopped in to say hi."

Winry was shocked. "I should be asking if you're sick, Edward Elric. I mean, come on, the great Fullmetal Alchemist never just 'stops in to say hi' to me."

"Well, he's here today, and he might be here tomorrow. No guarantees or anything, but it seems pretty likely." Then, Ed changed the topic. "So, what's for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know, but I think that Granny was talking about making stew."

"Sounds good," Ed replied.

Then, Winry left the room and headed to her bedroom. Ed didn't know why, but he thought that it might be related to why she was coughing.

…

Winry POV

Winry sat on her bed and thought about the previous encounter with Edward. **_Damn cough. It's been a month since I got the symptoms of this cold. He probably knows all about me having HIV._**

**_I bet that he never wants to see me again now._**

…

Ed POV

Ed sat on the couch. He was shocked by Winry's actions. Every time that he'd been here before she'd never locked herself in her room. Ed stood up because he decided that he needed to clear his head.

"Al! I'm going for a walk. Do you want to come?" Al agreed and the Elric brothers headed out into the Resembool countryside with Ed leading the way.

Ed first headed to the charred remains of the Elric home. The brothers stood there for a minute or so to pay their respects, then Ed led the way to the grave of Trisha Elric. The brothers looked down at the tombstone and read the inscription that they'd read several times already.

_Trisha Elric, loving wife, gentle mother_

Then, on the way back to Winry's house, Ed stopped by Al's favorite riverbank and he sat down. The suit of armor that was his brother sat down beside him.

"Brother, I know that something's bothering you. You're not acting like yourself and I want to know why."

"I'm not the only one who's not acting like their usual self," Ed whispered back, almost hoping that Al wouldn't hear him.

Al did hear though. "What do you mean by that, Brother?"

Ed looked up slightly at Al. "It's nothing. Let's get back. I'm sure that their looking for us."

When the brothers returned, Ed was pleased to notice that Granny had finished making the stew and the women were eating. Another bowl sat on the table and Ed knew that it was for him.

The women looked up as Ed shut the door. "Hey Ed, I was going to call you for dinner, but I never know where you go. You may have to heat yours up. It might be kinda cold," Winry told her friend.

Al excused himself as Ed took the bowl back into the kitchen to microwave it. Ed came back a minute later and sat down.

He noticed that Winry ate her meal really quickly. A couple minutes later, she finished. "Well, I've got some work to do in my room. See you all later."

Ed looked up, surprised. **_Okay, now I definitely know that something's up._**

After Ed finished his stew, which was like 15 minutes later because he went back for seconds and thirds, he snuck upstairs, past Al, to Winry's room. As expected, Winry's door was shut. Ed knocked on the wooden door with his automail right fist. "Winry, it's me. Can I come in?"

"No, Ed!" Winry yelled back, through the door. "What do you want?"

Ed was taken back. He knew that Winry was a strong believer in sex after marriage, so it shouldn't matter if he was in her room. Besides, he knew that she didn't think of him in that way. That disappointed him, but at least that meant that he could be in her room, and she'd never stopped him from coming into her room before.

"I just want to talk."

"Well, I don't want to talk! Please go away," Winry replied back, still not opening the door.

Ed turned away and was about to leave when he realized something. **_Hey, I'm the stronger man here. Sure, Winry could throw that wrench at my head again, but I can defend myself with alchemy. She is only a mechanic after all._**

Then, Ed remembered that Winry was his mechanic, so she could disable his automail arm. **_I can't use alchemy if she does that. I'll be powerless. _**Ed decided that it was a risk that he was willing to take.

Ed knocked one last time on the door. "Winry, I'm coming in."

* * *

**Okay, I must start by saying that this chapter is "my pride and joy of this story." AKA this is my favorite chapter. It took so long to write because I had to add all those fluffy scenes.**

**Also, this is, by far, the longest chapter of this story, which, sorry to say, will be ending in three more chapters.**

**By the way, the majority of this chapter is rewritten from the original story. It was originally a school project, so the scenes couldn't have too much detail, but that is changed now.**

**Here's the preview for the next chapter because I have nothing else to say.**

**Next Chapter: Confession**

**Need I say more?**


	7. Confession

**So, this story will be my main focus now. Here's chapter 7: Confession.**

* * *

Chapter 7: Confession  
Grade Level: 2.7

Ed walked in and Winry turned to face her friend. "I told you not to come in, Ed."

"I'm sorry, Winry, but I'm not one to abandon those in need." Ed noticed that Winry had been crying because her eyes were red and her face was streaked with dried tears. "Winry, what's wrong? You're not acting like yourself at all. Come on, you can tell me."

**_This coming from the one who never tells me his secrets,_** Winry told herself. The mechanic sat down on her bed and covered her face with her hands to hide the tears that were beginning to creep back into her eyes.

"I want to tell you, Ed. I really do, but you'll shun me. I don't want you to abandon me. You're one of the few friends that I have."

Ed couldn't believe what he heard. **_She thinks that I'd shun her over something. I'd be quicker to shun her for throwing that wrench at my head, but I know that's not what she's talking about._**

"Winry, you should know by now that I'd never shun you. Now, go on, try me. What is so bad that I'll 'shun you' for it?"

Winry looked into Ed's face. He was entirely serious. **_It's now or never_**. "I have HIV, Ed!" Winry yelled, tears in her eyes. "I have a virus that might kill me later in life!"

Ed gulped. "Winry," he whispered in shock. Winry caught the shocked expression on Ed's face and interpreted it differently than he wanted her to.

"Go ahead. Shun me. It's nothing new. You always do that when you leave. Why don't you just go? Leave on another one of your journeys."

Winry didn't expect Ed's reaction, and she wasn't ready when he walked over to her and hugged her. "It's okay, Winry. You'll get through this and I'll help you in any way that I can. As much as I hate to say this, HIV is a part of you now. You can't change that, and I promise that I won't let that condition change my opinion of you."

Winry's silent tears fell onto Ed's left shoulder. "Thank you, Ed, for everything. I really needed your support."

* * *

**I wanted to make this chapter short on purpose, because it just leads into the next chapter better. The main part of this chapter was the Ed x Winry moment. Next chapter should be longer with more Ed x Winry moments.**

**Next Chapter: Cut**

**Ed helps Winry prepare dinner, but she cuts herself. Ed volunteers to help dress the wound. HIV is transmitted through blood, but it's okay; Ed doesn't have any cuts on his left hand. Is it okay? What does Ed discover later that night?**


	8. Cut

**Okay, so I'll post the next chapter now. It's longer than last chapter, I promise.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Cut  
Grade Level: 3

A couple nights later, just before Ed had scheduled to leave again, he decided to help Winry prepare dinner. Winry had decided to make spaghetti, and she was in the process of cutting a green pepper to put into the mix.

Suddenly, the knife that Winry was holding accidentally slipped, cutting her hand. Winry clutched her hand as a small drop of blood dripped out.

Ed, who was working on something else, beside her, sensed a problem and looked over. He saw her holding her hand. "Winry, what's wrong? What happened?"

Winry looked up. "It's nothing, Ed. Don't worry. You just continue what you're doing and I'll go fix this."

"Winry, I told you that I'd try to help you in any way possible, but how can I do that if you won't let me?" Ed replied, sternly. Then, sensing his anger, he calmed down. "Please, Winry, just let me see the problem."

"Fine." Winry showed Ed the cut. Ed scoffed. "All that for one little cut. I've had much worse." He clutched his automail shoulder, as if to remind himself of that day, four years ago. "Winry, let me help you by putting a Band-Aid on it for you."

Winry wanted Ed's help, but she was afraid of accidentally passing the virus onto him. "No, Ed. HIV is transmitted through blood, and I don't want to give it to you."

"I don't have any cuts on my left hand, Winry." Ed showed her his left hand which truly was 'cut-free'. His right hand didn't matter because it was made of metal, therefore, blood wouldn't affect it.

After inspecting his hand, and knowing that he wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't agree, Winry agreed to let Ed bandage the cut for her. Ed got the stuff and quickly bandaged up the cut. "See, was that so hard?" he asked her.

Later, that night, after dinner, the kids were in the Rockbells' living room. Ed was reading yet another book on alchemy, Winry was watching TV, and Al was playing with Den.

"Oh, crap," Ed muttered to himself. Winry heard him and looked over. "What's wrong, Ed?"

Ed showed her his left hand. "I have a splinter."

Winry felt horrible. "Oh, god, Ed, your skin is open. What if some of my blood got in? What if I gave you HIV? I don't want to do that, Ed."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Winry, breathe. Let's not panic just yet."

Al, who hadn't heard Winry's confession before, looked up. "HIV? Winry, you have HIV?"

Winry slowly nodded, then she turned back to Ed. "What do you mean by 'let's not panic just yet'? This could be serious!"

"Isn't there some kind of test that can tell us if I have HIV or not?" Ed replied.

Winry thought about this for a minute. "Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, we'll go to the hospital and check tomorrow," Ed replied, "but I don't think that there is anything to be worried about."

* * *

**So, that was chapter 8. Dramatic, huh? No? Oh, well, I tried.**

**So, next chapter is the last. Already. This adventure's been fun. It was nice to dust off this old health project and fix it up.**


	9. Last Chapter

**Here's the last chapter, everyone. Thanks for reading. Oh, and read the next update. Just like always, I'll add some form of closure.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Last Chapter  
Grade Level: 3.3

The next morning, bright and early, the two teens and Al set off for Central Hospital. Winry was nervous throughout the whole trip, but Ed was calm. He just sat there reading his alchemy book from the night before.

Ten minutes later, they walked into Central Hospital. The receptionist there looked up from her health magazine (**AN: This is it with that, I promise**.) to greet the teens. "Can I help you?"

Ed glanced over at Winry and noticed that she seemed to be embarrassed, so he decided to do the talking. "I'd like to take an HIV test, please."

The receptionist grabbed a clipboard. "Name please?" (**AN: You'd think they'd know who he is by now. Oh well**.)

"Name's Edward Elric, ma'am."

The receptionist recognized his name instantly. "You mean like 'The Fullmetal Alchemist.' Why would The Fullmetal Alchemist need an HIV test?"

Ed scowled." 'The Fullmetal Alchemist' didn't say that he _needed_ to take an HIV test; he said that he'd _like_ to take one, please."

"Okay, if you really want to. A nurse should be with you shortly."

Five minutes later, a nurse called Ed back. Winry and Al followed. Once they got to the room, they noticed that the nurse had gathered all the supplies that she'd need. Ed was relieved to see that there were no needles.

"You don't need to give me some kind of shot, do you?" Ed asked, a little nervously.

"Oh no, Ed, there are no shots involved here," replied the nurse, whose nametag read 'Clara.' "HIV tests are simple. I'm just going to swab the inside of your mouth and you should get the results in as early as 20 minutes. Easy enough?"

Nurse Clara swabbed the inside of Ed's mouth. "I'll test this and get the results to you as soon as I'm done."

Ed, Winry, and Al went out into the waiting room. Ed pulled out his alchemy book and read it some more. Al looked over, reading the book along with his brother. Winry sat there, worrying about what Ed's results would be.

Twenty minutes later, Nurse Clara, once again, called Ed back to the room. The teens walked back into the room, and Ed and Winry sat down.

"Okay, Edward Elric, I have your test results," Nurse Clara told the alchemist. "Edward Elric, you are HIV…negative. (**AN: He does NOT have HIV**.)

Ed and Winry breathed a sigh of relief. The three kids thanked the doctor and then they headed back home.

The next morning, it was time for Ed to leave again. The three kids gathered outside the Rockbell's front door to exchange their goodbyes.

Ed turned to Winry as Winry gave him a goodbye hug. Winry then broke the hug so that she could say some parting words to her best friend.

"You know, Ed, I'm not going to try to hide my condition anymore."

Ed smiled. "That's good, Winry. You see, your HIV doesn't change your beauty or the fact that I love you."

Winry smiled back at Ed. "That's so sweet, Ed. I love you too. Anyway, I think I might try to campaign a little for HIV and AIDS. You see HIV prevention is up to all of us; we can't leave that responsibility with others."

* * *

**So, thus ends this story. Anyway, if I get enough people say so, maybe I'll post the original version of this story. Maybe then, you'll be able to see how much I had to change this.**

**I hope this ending wasn't too cheesy. I liked it for the original, but I'm not so sure that it is fit to end this version.**

**Anyway, read the next post. Talk to you all then.**


	10. Closure

**Well, as most who have read some of my stories before already know, it's time for the closure.**

**This is where I rant and rave one last time over said story, and then I put it away forever. This time, that story is my former health project, Life Threatened at Age 16.**

**First off, thanks for the support. This story is the fifth in my collection of eighteen to have over 1000 total hits. Thanks all. Here're the stats:**

**Stats for this Story**

**Total Hits: 1171**

**Hits on Last Chapter: 38**

**Favorites: 3**

**I just wanted to say that if anyone is interested in seeing the original version, I could put that up. I'd post it as a oneshot because it's kinda short. Also, the title would be altered slightly, but I'd make sure that it was recognized. If you're interested in at least knowing, please let me know soon.**

**Anyway, now, I'm going to thank some of the reviewers from this story. I like to do this because, hey, you took time to review and I appreciate it, so without further ado:**

**Special Thanks To:**

**S J Smith**

**FullMetal Fangirl**

**Harryswoman**

**fma.angle**

**(BTW, I would definitely recommend fma.angle's story 'Choices' for anyone who likes "Winry angst".)**

**and**

**those who reviewed anonymously.**

**Thanks to all. I appreciate all your ideas (even though they were mostly 'make the chapters longer.)**

**Now, here's to those who put this story in their favorites list. Compared to the last closure I wrote, this is easy. (Last time, there were 18 people.)**

**Special Thanks To:**

**Lovely Little Sin**

**Sally Elric**

**strawberrily .smoothie**

**I'm glad that you liked the story.**

**That's about all I have to say. This chapter's only purpose is to thank everyone who supported the certain story that I just finished. **

**I don't really know what story I'm going to write now. Maybe I'll go back to Finding Lost Memories. If you would like to read that one, I might put some chapters up later. **

**I hope to hear from some of you again, and thanks for everything. **


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